Bottle tray



R. SABOL BOTTLE TRAY Dec. 22, 1964 Filed Jan. 4, 1963 INVENTOR.

#770P/V5y FfF/VO/VD $14505 United States Patent 2 Claims. (5. 224-48) This invention relates generally to serving trays and more particularly to accident prevention means for such serving trays.

When carrying serving trays with several items thereon, if the weight of the carried items is not distributed for balance or if the tray isnt held in the proper place, the tray tends to tilt and the items carried thereby tend to spill. Walking with several items on a tray may also tend to unbalance the tray and cause an accident. Further, when a person using a tray has one hand in use, it is almost impossible to pick up a tray with one hand when the tray has any appreciable supported weight.

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a tray which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and has means to prevent slippage of items carried thereby.

Another object of this invention is to provide the aforementioned tray which has means to facilitate handling with only one hand.

Another object of this invention is to provide the aforementioned tray having means to prevent the tray from slipping from a users hand.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages will become more apparent to a person skilled in the art by referring to the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a serving tray made in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the novel serving tray in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of FIGURE 2.

Referring now to the drawings, a serving tray it) made in accordance with the present invention has a plate portion 12 with an annular peripheral upstanding rim 14. The plate portion 12 has a series of spaced depending cup-like pockets 16 at one end thereof.

A depending U-shapecl yoke 22 is provided at the end of the tray opposite the depending pockets 16, forming a hand-hole 24 between its base 22 and the bottom of the plate 12.

The cup-like pockets 16 have bottom surfaces 18 which are coplanar with the base 22 of yoke Ell so that when the tray is placed on a counter top or table, it will lie evenly and the plate portion 12 will be elevated therefrom.

Preferably, the bottom surfaces iii of pockets 16 have perforations I? to permit drainage of liquids which may have spilled or dripped on the tray Ill.

As may be clearly seen in FIGURES 1 and 3, a person can place his hand beneath the plate portion 12 of the tray it? with facility, and within the area bounded by yoke 2% to prevent the tray from slipping. When a users hand is so disposed, a positive control of the tray 16 is provided to prevent the tray from tipping.

When serving drinks, glasses, as shown, may be placed on the plate portion 12 while taller bottles may be placed in the cup-like pockets 16. In this instance, it is usual to carry empty glasses, the liquid being served remaining in the bottles. Although not shown, when serving plates with glasses and/ or cups, the plates would be placed on the plate-portion 12 while the glasses and/or cups would then be carried in the cup-like pockets 16. The rim 14 is a guard against any items carried on the plate portion 12 from slipping off tray 18.

As can be readily seen, tray 10 can be a unitary molded plastic member or may be made of interconnected parts.

While certain novel features of my invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A tray comprising a rigid flat plate, a flange of uniform height extending upwardly from said plate around the entire periphery thereof and integral therewith, a plurality of cylindrical pockets depending from said fiat plate, and disposed in a row adjacent a portion of said peripheral flange and formed integral therewith, each of said pockets having a cylindrical wall and an integral bottom with all of said pockets being of the same depth, whereby each of said pocket bottoms will lie in the same plane and parallel to said flat plate, a depending yoke secured to the underside of said flat plate adjacent an edge thereof, opposite said row of pockets, said yoke having a flat bight portion positioned in the same plane as said pocket bottoms, said yoke providing a handhold to facilitate grasping and holding the tray in a persons hand and said yoke bight portion and said pocket bottoms forming a support for said tray to horizontally support the tray when placed on a supporting surface.

2. The tray of claim 1, wherein the major portion of the fiat plate of said tray extending from said row of pockets to the remaining portion of said peripheral flange provides an article supporting surface, and drainage openings provided in each of said pocket bottoms.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

1. A TRAY COMPRISING A RIGID FLAT PLATE, A FLANGE OF UNIFORM HEIGHT EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID PLATE AROUND THE ENTIRE PERIPHERY THEREOF AND INTEGRAL THEREWITH, A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL POCKETS DEPENDING FROM SAID FLAT PLATE, AND DISPOSED IN A ROW ADJACENT A PORTION OF SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE AND FORMED INTEGRAL THEREWITH, EACH OF SAID POCKETS HAVING A CYLINDRICAL WALL AND AN INTEGRAL BOTTOM WITH ALL OF SAID POCKETS BEING OF THE SAME DEPTH, WHEREBY EACH OF SAID POCKET BOTTOMS WILL LIE IN THE SAME PLANE AND PARALLEL TO SAID FLAT PLATE, A DEPENDING YOKE SECURED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID FLAT PLATE ADJACENT AN EDGE THEREOF, OPPOSITE SAID ROW OF POCKETS, SAID YOKE HAVING A FLAT BIGHT PORTION POSITIONED IN THE SAME PLANE AS SAID POCKET BOTTOMS, SAID YOKE PROVIDING A HANDHOLD TO FACILITATE GRASPING AND HOLDING THE TRAY IN A PERSON''S HAND AND SAID YOKE BIGHT PORTION AND SAID POCKET BOTTOMS FORMING A SUPPORT FOR SAID TRAY TO HORIZONTALLY SUPPORT THE TRAY WHEN PLACED ON A SUPPORTING SURFACE. 